Electronic Vehicle Registration (“EVR”) is known in the art generally as an automated method of compliance screening for vehicle registration, which typically uses wireless, radio frequency identification (“RFID”) technology to automatically identify vehicle compliance status using RFID readers and RFID tags to reflect vehicle information. Typically, an RFID tag is attached to a vehicle, usually the windshield. A user may use an RFID scanner to interrogate the RFID tag associated with the vehicle to obtain a unique number stored on the RFID tag. This unique number may be the unique registration number assigned to the vehicle, the unique serial number assigned to the RFID tag during manufacture, or some other unique number stored on the RFID tag which can be associated with the vehicle. Using the unique number obtained from the RFID tag, a user accesses a database, typically stored at another location, to download compliance-related information about the vehicle to which the RFID tag is assigned. Examples of compliance-related information may include vehicle registration, emissions, insurance, mechanical safety, or other factors, and whether or not the vehicle is in compliance with various national, state, or local regulations. Some EVR systems automatically process enforcement actions or violations for non-compliant vehicles. EVR tags typically supplement the traditional vehicle license plate and provide an additional, automated method for enforcing registration compliance.
Some examples of EVR systems or related RFID-tags known in the art are as follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,894,615, 6,758,405, 5,661,473, 5,554,984, 6,366,222, 6,876,296, 6,121,880, 6,888,509, and U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2002/0044069.
One example of a two-part overlay arrangement, where one member is substantially permanently attached and another member is removably attached, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,378.